A blockbuster in every sense of the word, the Cardinals will acquire one of the game’s most valuable outfielders in Heyward and an excellent setup man in Walden. Heyward just turned 25 in August yet already has five full Major League seasons under his belt. His offensive game hasn’t developed to the superstar level that many had expected, though he still owns a lifetime .262/.351/.429 batting line. His .269/.335/.479 batting line and 27 homers in 2012 give an idea of the power upside that Heyward brings to the table, however.

Where Heyward truly shines, however, is with the glove, as evidenced by career UZR and DRS marks of +74.1 and +97, respectively (UZR/150 pegs him at +17.6). That excellent glove paired with a solid bat has led Heyward to be valued at 4.3 fWAR and 4.9 rWAR per season throughout his career. There’s little doubt that Heyward is an MVP-caliber talent, although to realize that potential he would likely need to return to his 2012 form at the plate while maintaining his stellar defensive work.

Heyward is only under control for one more season and will earn $7.8MM in 2015, but Walden is a bit more of a long-term asset for the Cardinals, as he can be controlled through the 2016 season. Projected to earn $3MM in 2015, the 27-year-old Walden posted a 2.88 ERA with 11.2 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and a 45.2 percent ground-ball rate for the Braves last season. Armed with a fastball that averages roughly 96 mph, he should give manager Mike Matheny yet another hard-throwing option to pair with the likes of Trevor Rosenthal at the end of the St. Louis bullpen.

In Miller, the Braves have acquired at least four years of control over a high-upside arm that looked to be on the verge of stardom for much of 2013 before a rough finish to the season and a step backwards in 2014. Miller frequented top prospect lists for his entire minor league career after being selected 19th overall in 2009, with Baseball America ranking him as highly as sixth in the game heading into the 2013 campaign. That season, he posted a brilliant 3.06 ERA with 8.8 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 38.4 percent ground-ball rate in 173 1/3 innings. He saw his strikeouts dip late in the season though and was curiously a non-factor in the 2013 playoffs, leading many to speculate that he was either injured or simply out of gas after posting a career-high in innings pitched.

Miller maintained his velocity in 2014, but he displayed some signs of control issues that caused his ERA to jump to 3.74 (while FIP and SIERA pegged him at 4.54 and 4.60, respectively). For one, Miller’s BB/9 rate jumped to 3.6. But looking beyond that, his first-pitch strike rate dropped about two percent, and his opponent contact rate for pitches in the strike zone jumped from 85.6 percent to 90 percent, suggesting that he struggled to command the ball within the zone. Nonetheless, Miller’s upside is sky-high, and the Braves had a clear need in the rotation with both Ervin Santana and Aaron Harang hitting the free agent market. Both Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy are recovering from their second Tommy John surgery, leaving Atlanta with Julio Teheran, Mike Minor and Alex Wood as rotation candidates, perhaps along with swingman David Hale.

Jenkins, 22, isn’t simply a throw-in for the Braves, either. The Cards drafted Jenkins 50th overall in 2010, and the right-hander cracked BA’s Top 100 prospect list following the 2011 season — ranking 94th. Touted for his off-the-charts athleticism, Jenkins has seen his prospect star dim a bit since that time due to shoulder surgery, though he did return midway through 2014 and post a 3.28 ERA in 74 innings in the Class-A Advanced Florida State League. BA ranked him 17th among Cardinals prospects heading into 2014, noting that his fastball sits 93-96 mph when healthy and adding that he features an improved curveball as well.

The trade fills a need for both clubs, although the circumstances in which St. Louis came to have a need for a right fielder are of course tragic. It’s been difficult and felt inappropriate at times to look at the tragic death of Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend through a baseball lens, but many have wondered if is untimely loss would lead the Cardinals to look outside the organization for outfield help. MLBTR’s Charlie Wilmoth noted in his Offseason Outlook for the Cards that such measures could be necessary, and the path that the team has taken will improve the team in 2015, even if the trade is unfortunately linked to tragedy.

Comments

I like it as a Braves fan. Heyward was good — he’s not as bad as his hater might say — but I don’t think he was long in Atlanta anyway, and his bat just hasn’t come around like we hoped. Getting a young controllable starter is a better return than I expected.

We need pitching and offense and we don’t have many valuable assets. JHey, when he signed his 2-year deal to avoid arbitration, was essentially given a 2-year period to prove himself worthy of Freeman-like money, because ATL has in the backend. We WANTED him to have it, but he needed to earn it, and by his offense, he hasn’t. This lineup hasn’t found a spot for him, mostly because Fredi lacks consistency and creativity, but when you factor that in, JHey’s output wasn’t worth what is presumed asking price will be. He’s just not. By getting a young pitcher with a massive upside and another in a similar circumstance that is unproven at the MLB level, we’ve filled a need.

Are you seriously going to try to say that any defensive metric is even close to accurate? After next year you will have some actual defensive measures that are accurate, but UZR and DRS are not even in the ballpark until you get above 450 games played. Even the guys that developed both metrics will tell you that.

home runs are great, but heyward is the better overall player. atl’s pitching is going to take a hit by missing out on those 32 drs. heyward pretty consistently eliminates xbh better than anyone. shelby miller every 5th day isnt going to make up for that.

4 years of Miller plus 6 years of Jenkins for 1 year of Heyward and 2 years of Walden doesn’t seem bad for me. Teheran, Minor, Wood, Miller seems like a pretty solid group of starters to me. And they are all very young.

Why is he a #3 starter for you? 3.33 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 26 W, 3.3 BB/9 in 69 career starts before turning 24 is pretty special. David Price before turning 24 seemed like a 5th starter guy according to the same standards (4.42 ERA).

That’s actually not all that impressive these days. It’s definitely above average, but it’s not exactly hard to find a pitcher that can put up those numbers anymore. Hard to justify giving up a 5-6 WAR RFer for that.

I wouldn’t say I’m shocked they traded him, just at how little they got back for someone that’s been among the most productive players since he came on the scene. There are only 12 players at ANY position that have been more productive than Heyward has since 2010.

Yes, but like in Heyward’s case, his WAR is inflated by his top of the league defense. That is why a player with a great offense and average defense (Trout) or a player with great defense and average offense (Heyward) will always have higher WAR than a slightly above average in both categories. WAR is pretty inaccurate and over-appreciated in my opinion.

ah, but its not. imperfect, yes, but relevant over very large sample sizes. we also can’t pretend that defense is what makes up the bulk of WAR, because it isn’t. it’s a component, but if you’re looking at combined WAR over 5 years, its significant, and worth placing heavy weight on.

I’m not pretending it is not part of baseball (where did you get that from?) i’m just saying that great defense or offense inflates WAR unfairly. Nevertheless this conversation is useless because Atlanta didn’t have a choice; Heyward was going to test free agency and with very high demands.

You don’t seem to taking into account how expensive “average” starting pitching is. Mediocre SP’s get 8-12 mil per year on the open market. 4 years of Miller at pre-FA price is pretty valuable, especially when you compare that to A) only one year of Heyward and B) Heyward is going to get $200 million as a FA, which we definitely cannot afford.

actually, i really was just hoping they wouldve gotten a position prospect. atl practically grows pitchers on trees it seems, but they never seem to have many bats in the system. they dont like to spend money to keep players most of the time, so it wouldve been nice to see a bat coming over.

honestly, more than anything im just tired of being let down in pretty much every way possible by this team. i dont blame heyward for wanting to test the waters, but man watching players leave and watching the team fail to meet expectations is really getting old.

I totally agree with your 2nd paragraph, it is disappointing that we even have to be constrained into moves like this. I agree that he’s underrated as a player in general, and that his defense matters a lot. A run saved is a run saved, doesn’t matter if it’s in RF or not. (I was hoping they’d just play him in center every day, since he was OK there).

We should be playing him everyday then trying to re-sign him in the offseason, and we might even be doing so were it not for the BJ Upton signing. At least we got rid of the man responsible for that deal.

That said Jon Hart (and most pundits I’ve seen), say that the Braves are strong in the lower minors, but rate poorly in the upper minors P-wise. As terrible as our hitting was last year, we need pitching too.

You mean a pitcher who is only a year removed from a top three finish for rookie of the year? or a few years removed from being one of the top 30 prospects in baseball where almost ever ranking had him classified as a potential front of the rotation starter?

Bad trade? Let’s be objective here. Will ATL be able to re-sign him? No. So will they contend in 2015? Very unlikely with him. So if it’s presumed that his value drops every game played, we would have needed to get another pitcher we won’t with Miller, and have almost $8MM to reallocate, what’s the problem? Sorry your Heyward jersey is worth nothing, but the team is bigger than any one player, and this benefits the team both now and going forward.

He is a RF. Its the area of the field the LEAST balls go to. Really, how much is that defense worth? Not enough to make up the difference between his offense and Stanton’s offense. or Bautista’s offense. Or Pence’s offense. Or Puig’s overall game. Sorry. Its not a question about who any GM in the game would want in their OF.

I’d love to hear your basis for believing that defense in right field has so little value. The last time I looked right fielders field about as many balls as left fielders. And since they have to make the long throw to third base, their arm strength is more critical. Also there is plenty of evidence to suggest that defense is a critical part of understanding a player’s value, even in corner positions. A run is a run whether you prevent it or score it.

That just goes to show you how weak of a player Heyward is. He was traded for freaking Shelby miller! If Heyward was all that guess what, he would be in ATL still since most teams don’t trade away the top players in the game for a Shelby miller

He’s right. Defense isn’t needed in the corners like it is in center. Heyward is a good player with upside but, several years of Shelby Miller is better than one year of Heyward. Miller has a lot of upside too.

Yes however, most of it has comes on defence. A Corner OFer who provides excellent hitting skills is better than a glove wizard at that position. A teams needs offence too, as well as pitching. Your prime defensive positions are CF, SS, and C. Everybody else should hit at an above average rate. Not saying Heyward doesn’t, but his value isn’t as high as Bautista’s, or Adam Jones, etc. Like I said, getting a cost-controlled pitcher with great upside, along with another pitching prospect is a good return for a glove wizard, average hitting Heyward, and a erratic middle reliever.

Quite serious. Corner spots (RF, LF, 1B, 3B) are places where you can sacrifice speed and defense for offense. I don’t think it’s a bad trade per say but the notion that the Cardinals “clearly won” this trade is quite overblown. I very much doubt the Cardinals acquired him for his defensive ability.

Valuable in terms of WAR and those neurotic defensive metrics that assume baseball is played in cyberspace. The fact is Heyward is a slightly above average hitter at best who gets his WAR inflated for catching pop flies. The guy was a .730 OPS hitter last year and in terms of his WAR and the history of the award vs WAR, he should have been a legitimate MVP contender, which is absurd to think about.

You don’t have a very good grasp of WAR. I’m not trying to be rude, but that’s not how it works. There are some good places that show you the internal workings of the stat. It’s not flawless, but over large sample sizes, it’s one of the single most useful stats you can use.

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. What I don’t have a very good grasp of is people who take WAR as the end all be all to player value and when anyone challenges it, they just accuse them of not understanding.

Absolutely, WAR is one of the best stats for evaluating a players performance, but it’s not the only stat. Like all stats there are flaws, otherwise Alex Gordon would be asking for 400 million this off season based upon where he compares to Stanton in WAR

never meant to hurt anyone’s feelings, but if someone is going to talk to me about the stat, and they don’t understand what they’re talking about, im not going to lie to them. there’s no point in that. it wouldn’t help anyone.

Except for a guy named Stanton and a guy named Puig and a guy named Jose Bautista I would say you might be right. Also have to include a couple of other guys like Werth and Pence. Hey, number 5 or 6 is nothing to sneeze at. Defensively he is the best RF, but that is like saying you are the best backup QB. Most starting CF would be about the best RF in the league. Certainly not the best RF overall.

Offensively, which includes baserunning, Fangraphs has Heyward rated ninth among qualifying right fielders. So even if the defensive metrics aren’t 100% accurate that’s his floor in terms of ranking. Overall he’s rated fourth based on including UZR defense along with offense. Splitting the difference he’s sixth or seventh. He’s likely to be worth quite a bit more than Miller who pitched like a replacement player last year, but there is the time of team control which is way in the Braves’ favor. If they can fix him they can win the trade. I would still take the Cards’ end on this deal.

Agreed….I’m not sure what the Braves gain from this trade. Miller struggled most of the 2014 season before turning it on in his final 5 September starts. As for Jenkins, Yes, he was a former Top 100 prospect, but his K/9 rate as a starter has plummeted into the low 5’s during his time in Advanced A ball. There must be some serious concerns that Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy may not be 100% when they get back from their respective surgeries. The move will give the Braves a young 2015 rotation of Teheran, Minor, Miller, Beachy, and Medlen.

As for the Cardinals….I love the deal for them. The Cardinals organization is stocked with young talented arms that can easily replace Miller (i.e. Carlos Martinez). Heyward is one of the best defensive OF’ers in baseball with a solid bat capable of adding 5+ wins per season. Also Walden is no traditional throw in, he’s been one of the toughest right handed relievers in baseball over the past two seasons holding opponents to a .186 batting average.

Any starter coming off 2 TJ’s is a major concern as it is rare to have any have the same relative success they did prior to the 2nd. Lots of 1 TJ’s come back, not very many have come back from 2 so pitching was a definite need. 4 years of Miller for a guy that was walking after this year is a better return than a compensation pick and seeing us miss the playoffs again this year.

Exactly. Having a constant controlled, young arm with upside for a few, cost controlled years is better than one year of Heyward. If anything, they can now try to extend Upton, and go after a cheap OFer.

I don’t think the Cardinals have much interest in extending Heyward. Holliday is still under contract for two more years plus an option year that has a good chance at being picked up at this point. Heyward is more of a stopgap until either Grichuk or Piscotty is ready to take over RF [or Grichuk takes over CF if Jay walks (pun not intended) after the 2016 season].

your right….missed him….That makes the move even more puzzling though…..You already had 5 young controllable arms to compete with the Mets and the Nationals younger staffs. But now your team hitting is even weaker than the weak line-up the Mets were rolling out in September games.

You can’t rely on Medlen or Beachy coming off their SECOND Tommy John, so we absolutely needed another SP or two, but trading Heyward out of the possible 3 (including Gattis and J. Upton) that would have netted a good MLB ready SP was the least desirable outcome, IMO.

He’s 23. He’s not been in the league long enough to be considered inconsistent. Watched the same complaints about Rick Porcello in Detroit. Now he’s 26 and he’s looking polished. Most 23 yr olds are still in the minors.

You fail to notice why Miller turned it on in late August and September, which was mainly due to an increased use of a much improved curveball. You’re getting a very good young pitcher here. I think this deal could be very good for both sides.

It’s not difficult. The Braves’ aspirations of contention in 2014 were a mirage, and they’re working with an eye on 2017 in the post-Wren era. Miller comes with at least 4 years control, whereas there was zero chance of Heyward re-signing after 2015. It’s a value extraction in a year that’s likely a partial rebuild.

Not too hard to understand. Unless he’s awful this year, Hayward is going to get a huge ton of money this offseason. The Braves don’t have that money and won’t until they move into their new stadium. In exchange, they get two controllable SPs who could really help them rebuild their rotation.

I totally agree with you Tom. I can’t stop shaking my head over this deal. Now don’t get me wrong, Shelby Miller is good but u gotta press the issue to at least try to deal b. J Upton off unless he’s already been dealt off which last I heard he hadn’t

There best option is to run him out there if he is healthy and if he is let him pitch to gain some value and trade him to open up a spot for Martinez. That’s really their best option with Garcia. Too much money to just have him be a spot starter if he’s healthy

Thats a lot to give up for just a stop gap. They Cards will intend to extend Heyward, otherwise this was a bad trade for the Cards because Grichuk will never be more than a 4th OFer. Piscotty can hit for average, but this isn’t the 1980 Cards, we need power and Piscotty will never have power.

A starting OF with only one year left in his contract and zero chances of extension before htiting FA. He also was reported to be asking for a “4th batter” price when he isn’t one. Atlanta got 4 years of Shelby Miller and 6 years of MLB’s 94 prospect in 2012 and 2013. Also, Jenkins had a solid 2014 in A+.

It means that Heyward was asking (according to David O’Brien or Mark Bowman, i don’t remember) for “4th batter money”, like he was a proven power hitter and Braves see him like a 1st batter with average power. They had different visions of his role and potential.

No….I said I would rather have the QO then Jenkins. Smoltz is the outlier….not the rule.

Miller is a good strong arm to have but pitching was not the Braves weakness in 2014, making contact with the baseball was. The club already had 5 young controllable arms in their rotation for 2015. If anything I would have traded Heyward for hitting prospects.

The Braves had the 5th worst average in baseball, the 5th worst K rate, and scored the 2nd fewest runs in baseball. Plus there’s no guarantee that they will be able to sign Upton to a contract extension either.

But Atlanta got Miller too instead of the QO, not just Jenkins. Remember Miller is under team control until the end of 2018 season. I agree that Atlanta must boost his offense but remember this trade is just the first, my guess is that they will continue to rebuild the team and specially their offense.

If I were you I would, I really feel like Miller turned the corner at the end of the year. Miller was inconsistent for most of the year but he was finally living up to his potential. If it makes you feel better as a Cards fan I feel we gave up too much.

it keeps not approving my comments. There is a good writeup on Jenkins the other day at stltoday. Jenkins is another guy who has turned the corner. He has number 2 starter potential, drafted in 2010 but has taken forever, he’s finally putting it together. I’d expect him to be in AA this year.

Jenkins was slowed by injuries but is finally healthy and had a really good Arizona Fall League showing…was getting a lot of press here in StL as a result. As a Cards fan…not too big on this deal. IF they somehow extend Heyward it could still end up big on the Braves side if Jenkins hits potential. Always a hard thing to judge until you can use hindsight. :)

Agree… As a Braves fan and a Cardinal fan (my wife and location have made them my 2nd team), this is a win-win. Braves needed a young, controllable starter with #2 potential to go with Teheran (#1 potential) and Minor (#2-3 potential). Long time to tell if it will be a win for the Braves regarding Jenkins but this fills an immediate need for STL in right plus the lefty bat. Those that are just casual fans will think it is a steal for the Cardinals as it gives them immediate help versus the long-term help it provides the Braves.

Given Heyward’s absurd asking price for an extension when he hits free agency and Atlanta’s re-building plans in 2015 and probably 2016, this seems as a good deal. I thought they would receive more, though.

That is the difference! Upton IS in the position to ask for that money; Heyward is not. I prefer 7 years of Justin Upton with a 20MM$ salary than 7 years of Heyward with a 18 MM$ salary. My guess is that he will get traded too or he will get extended but i’m pretty confident that he won’t start 2015 in Atlanta with only one year left on his contract.

Because in my opinion Justin Upton is more constant. He is very streaky, i know, but Heyward gets injured a lot and has not reached his potential. He is totally umpredictable, which can be seen with his different stats in each year. One year it looks like he is a 3rd hitter, another year he looks like a 1st hitter. I wanted the Braves to deal Heyward first because it was reported that he wasn’t going to sign an extension before being a FA and his asking price was really high. Even with his great defense, he is not worth that much money.

I agree! And I would add September too. If they can get a good return from him then great! But between Heyward and Upton i prefer to give an extension to Upton. P.S: Heyward had slumps too in April (205 AVG), June (250) and September (239). He seemed to be streaky as Upton, too.

I like this trade if Heyward can at least stabilize the slide in his OPS the last two years. His glove alone isn’t worth it; Grichuk would be good enough defensively in RF. Whether Heyward is affordable for 2016 is going to be based on his offensive production, not a GG.

Why? He probably isn’t worth what he’ll be asking, and we’ve got Grichuk and Piscotty ready to take over. Part of what I like about this deal is that it’s only a stopgap that doesn’t block the kids for too long.

I guess you do if that OF is one year from free agency and you can re-sign your other very good OF that is in the same contract position. Bottom line: they need an Upton extension or this is a disaster.

you make the mistaken assumption that he’s only as good as he was last year. He’s a guy on the way up. The key with Miller is look how he was pitching at the end of the year. Miller really turned a corner. This was a very good move for the Braves.

You braves fans have really over valued Heyward. You’re crazy to think the Ms would have given up Walker for 1 year of Heyward. And if they really could have gotten that deal, don’t you think John Hart would have made that trade?

“And if they really could have gotten that deal, don’t you think John Hart would have made that trade?”

Who is to say he even talked to the M’s? Everyone was saying the Rays could have gotten much more for Price than they did, and it’s true. You also apparently don’t know how weak the Mariners are in the OF. I’m sorry but to give up talent, you have to get talent. Walker is unproven, Heyward is not.

I’m not saying it’s a move the M’s would say Yes to but I think they’d consider it.

Granted, small sample size, and young for the league (ish), but I’d have to call Jenkins pretty fringy as a “prospect”. He’s had several years to figure it out and turning 22 this summer in the FSL he struck out 5 guys per 9 in a pitchers’ league.

He’s got the size and draft lineage in his pocket, so it’s not like he can’t develop. But he’s a shoulder shrug at this point.

I agree that it doesn’t look like a “win” for Atlanta, but J-Hey was going to command more than the Braves wanted to pay, so I guess I can see what they were thinking. And Miller isn’t chopped liver.

Shelby Miller was baseball america’s number 6 prospect and is only entering his third year. This trade was honestly made on the hope that they can get that top of the rotation potential from Miller. It’s not that bad of a trade considering that the majority of Heyward’s value is his def. and he OPS’d 735 with an OPS+ of 108. Cardinals gave up a potential top of the rotation pitcher for a potential middle of the order bat. Seems like a win-win

If this was 10 years ago, ATL wins this trade. Hitting is the scarce commodity now. You’re dead right. There are mid-rotation guys available all over the place every year it seems, and if you’re not too picky you can grab one or two and let it shake out. And they don’t cost 5 WAR outfielders.

On the flipside, ATL definitely wasn’t re-signing him to what he thinks he’s getting paid, so I kinda get that.

And we all know how that Cardinals uniform magically unlocks players’ potential and turns them into guys who will take a discount to stay.

Phelps isn’t even close to Miller, guy has never pitched more than 113 innings and has had a consistently lower WHIP and a FIP this past year (and a poor year overall for Miller) that is right in line with Phelps. If Miller performs like 2013 for even 2 of the 4 years, this is a win for the Braves regardless of Jenkins.

That’s the redeeming factor of this trade for the Braves. They get years of control and the Cards are ready to win now. Cards may be able to afford to extend Heyward, we’ll see there. Heyward’s bat should actually get a bit better playing in St. Louis compared to Atlanta so his value might go up a bit offensively as well.

As an M’s fan, I thought about that – Giving up Walker for Heyward. I wonder if they talked to them about it but Jack Z just doesn’t want to trade Walker for anything (and I can’t blame him, he has the talent to be amazing and is very young). We need offense and have the money – so they say – to get it done in FA rather than trade away young cost controlled talent. I think the idea of having Felix, Walker, Paxton and Iwakuma in the same rotation is really hard to not love.

Gotta give up talent to get talent. 5+ WAR players are hard to come by. I agree that rotation is hard not to love, but the Mariners OFers as of now on a scale of 1-10 is probably less than a 1. I would definitely trade My team’s #3 pitcher if it’s in need of a desperate upgrade on offense.

Of course another option is to sign someone on the market but I can’t think of any 5+ WAR OFers as free agents (and I”m probably missing a very easy one)

he had a 422 ops against left handers last year. Great OBP inconsistent pop. I like this move but I have some concerns about it. Which is why it’s probably a good trade, both sides feeling like they traded to much likely means it’s fair.

Of course I am, but I feel that WAR is a bit skewed when it comes to measuring the defense of corner outfielders. Is Alex Gordon really more valubale than Mike Stanton? WAR is a great stat, but it’s not the end all be all in evaluating players.

I would’ve liked him too but we have to many in the OF and so far no one is buying. Wished we could have traded Cespedes for Miller. I’m a bit upset quite honestly that we haven’t done anything beyond signing Koji.

I am angry and jealous. The Mets should have made this deal for Heyward. They needed a right fielder more than anyone, they had the pitching to give up. Make it happen. Give the Braves Wheeler for Heyward straight up, they can keep Walden.

Ugh. I don’t even care which pitcher it took, as long as it weren’t Harvey, Matz, or Thor. You can have anyone else for Heyward. :(

we are in full rebuilding mode, hate to say it. this screams everything of a fire sale, sad to see J-Hey go.. but i am honestly lost for words, but heywards extension asking price and th fact he is a FA next year makes this trade possible, even if it is kinda crazy

As a Braves fan, I have to hope Hart knows what he’s doing… He has a great track record. I think the Braves chose to go with Justin Upton. He’s only a year older and proven to be a better hitter and no inury risk.

As a Braves fan, the ideal situation would have been for Heyward to sign long-term. He made it clear that he wanted to be a free-agent, not be the hometown hero. The Braves had to get someone who could help the rotation long-term, and I think Miller can be that guy.

With that said, the Braves should have gotten more from STL. This is a win for the Cardinals, and now I have to listen to this crap from Cardinal fans…(I live in Arkansas, 3 hrs from STL).

JayHey was probably going to walk via free agency after next year. This was the Braves way of salvaging him. The other option was trading at the deadline for prospects, but that means prolonging contention. Getting a young controllable ML pitcher helps them in the present and the future

IDK, this trade kind of signals the start of the Braves going into rebuild mode. They can’t expect to get elite prospects for Upton if the best they could get for Heyward is a back of the rotation starter.

Welp, there’s little to no reason to watch the Braves this year. Jason was gone after the 2015 season, and would ask for a ridiculously high long-term contract. 200+ million for a 110 wRC+ player with superb defense isn’t worth it, IMO.

I actually like this one. The Braves are getting a young controllable pitcher for a guy that (I’m assuming) they weren’t going to be able to resign. The only other logical thing to do was trade him at a deadline for prospects, but I don’t think Braves fans want a long rebuilding process

I realized we might be going the rebuild route, but this is just shocking. I thought he might be traded but not this quickly and for pitching…when we obviously need bats. He is an absolute fan favorite. Color me a really sad Braves fan. The harsh reality of this move will take some time to get over. We’re just so used to winning and flopping in the playoffs, and now we don’t get to do either.

I’m sorry but no team is going to offer Heyward $200+ million. That’s ridiculous. The guy has been an All Star once and has only been on 2 MVP ballots, the highest finishing 28th. A very good player overall but certainly not one of the game’s best. Though I still think this is a great trade for St. Louis.

I’m surprised by Braves fans’ reaction to this. They act like Miller is trash. 24 years old with a 3.33 ERA over two seasons. I actually think it was a lot to give up for a rental and a reliever, especially since Heyward hasn’t shown much power.

Cards fans….wait until you have to watch Heyward for a full season. Even his good offensive stats are overblown. Best defensive RF…absolutely. But he has a history of injuries and as Braves fans can attest, is a the PERFECT model of inconsistency. Waaaay too streaky to stay at the top of an order. And he’s going to ask for way too much for an extension. After watching him the past two years, I’m fine with Miller and a prospect. Best of luck to J-Hey, I hope he finally lives up to his potential.

His offense is still a lot better than what we suffered through in RF last year, and we’re not looking to extend him anyway with our outfield prospects almost ready to take over. If he’s too streaky to bat at the top of the order, he can bat 7th while Carpenter and Wong continue to bat 1st and 2nd.

Big move for the Cardinals and it looks like a STEAL. Shelby Miller never seemed to fall in favor with the team. Heyward rebounded after a poor start to the season and is projected to keep improving next season according to Steamer

So let see the Braves traded away one of the best RF in the game today they also got include Jordan Walden who outstanding and in return the Braves got a OK pitcher and some A pitcher. The Braves should have never made this kind of a trade.

you got 4 years of Miller for one year of Heyward. Miller’s trajectory is on the way up, he really turned the corner at the end of the year. You’re getting a good pitcher. And Jenkins has a lot of potential. It’s not a bad deal.

Good trade for the Braves and Cards both ways. Do yall think the braves would make a move to hurt the team??? If any team makes a move its because they think it will be better for the team. Not because theyre fans dont like it.

I don’t think it is a robbery for anyone. Cards get 1 year of a defensive first, bat challenged right fielder. They will get the most value in 2015 barring injury, but Miller could be steady for many years to come in the Braves rotation. Braves know they can’t sign him to an extension, so get a young controllable player now, it’s not like they are going to set the world on fire with their team next year, led by the underachieving Upton brothers…… This is about 2016 and beyond, not 2015.

if Miller can produce 1/5-2 War per season over the next 4 years, that should be more valuable than 1 year of Heyward and a few of Walden. You also get a high ceiling prospect in return. 2015 Braves are worse off, but 2015-2020 Braves are better because of this deal. Braves would not be good in 2015 with Heyward anyway. Might as well trade J upton now as well.

If you ever watched him as often as a braves fan you’ll know he’s peaked offensively. He will never fix his bouncing hands and chasing balls away. Good deal for both teams as we weren’t going to resign him anyways.

I think Heyward is a good defensive outfielder but I don’t like the offensive power production and what kind of contract is he going to have nearing his prime? I like the Braves rotation better going forward. They are 5 deep.

I love this trade. I think my Cards got the WAY better end of this but at the same time this is not a bad deal for the Braves. They needed to get something for Heyward and Jenkins has impressed in the AFL and throughout the minors. He’s a solid solid piece especially with the great pitching development that goes on there in ATL. Probably not as high of ceiling as Teheran but could be a similar pitcher. Shelby Miller is still 24. He could still be an ace. I love Shelby and in the second half I finally had some confidence that he’s gonna put it together. At absolute worst Miller is a solid #4 or #5 starter, but I think it’s much more likely he can be a #1 or #2 quality. Gonna miss both of those guys but I always admired Heyward and Walden. Really Really excited about this trade!

Even if it is, which i don’t think it will be, if gives us a great shot at a WS this year, and gives time for Piscotty and Grichuk to develop. There’s very little risk in what we gave up. We have soooo much pitching

Win now VS. Win later. Good trade for both teams. Cards get the best player in the trade but the Braves get a controllable young starter that won 15 games at 20 years old and is getting better. The Braves also shred about $10 million dollars. Next up will be an extension for Upton or he will be moved too. Braves looking at 2017.

It was two strikes to the gut for the Cubs and Pirates too cuz Russell Martin just signed by the Blue Jays. I wouldn’t thanking God right now if I didn’t really respect and fear what both of those clubs are putting together. The Central is gonna be phenomenal next year….

Yeah, he’s pretty poor (81 wRC+ career), but as a lefty he’s the strong side of the platoon and a very good defender. Seems like that skillset is undervalued as the M’s want to trade a guy with similar features in Saunders. Y’all can have him for Evan Gattis, I bet.

This isn’t a landslide win for the Cardinals. Heyward is an average at best hitter and he is 25. He is going to magically figure it out? Defensive stats are overrated. I’ll take a guy that hits bombs over a 20-time gold glove winner.

I agree he hasn’t lived up to this potential, but this reeks of the Cardinals falling up by replacing Oscar Taveras with Heyward. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he puts it all together for StL.

Jenkins could end up being the best player in this deal. He was drafted in 2010 always seen as having the upside of a 1 or 2 starter, but he was very raw. Had some injuries that set him back, but he’s finally putting it together. If you go to stltoday there’s a very good article on Jenkins that was written just yesterday.

Shelby Miller’s unluckiness continues.Hitters have more value than a pitcher. All I can say as a Met fan Heyward was a great ballplayer to watch even at the expense of the Mets. This trade came out of nowhere I wonder who called who on this one.

I remember when we obtained Ray King, Jason Marquis, and Wainwright for J.d. Drew and Eli Marrero. Braves are hoping Jenkins and Miler both being consistent starters and worth taking a chance on their high ceilings. The Cardinals are grabbing a gold glover Right fielder with some pop. Carpenter, Heyward, Holiday, Adams, Peralta, Molina, Jay/Grichuk, Wong, Pitcher. Seems like a fun lineup for next year.

I hope they hold on to both to be quite frank. Upton and Gattis keep thump in the lineup. Freeman and Upton is quite a solid 3-4 punch, regardless of the pitcher, you have to give more mental effort in their AB’s.

I posted the other day that I believed we would trade them both, one for pitching prospects and the other for a near ready outfield prospect. I hate the thought of a whole-sale rebuild. But honestly it may be the best route, you can try to push a square through a circle hole and it will never work, The lifelong fan is sadden, but the logical fans understands completely.

Interesting….I’m not sure what the Braves gain from this trade. Miller struggled most of the 2014 season before turning it on in his final 5 September starts against inferior teams. As for Jenkins, Yes, he was a former Top 100 prospect, but his K/9 rate as a starter has plummeted into the low 5’s during his time in Advanced A ball. There must be some serious concerns that Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy may not be 100% when they get back from their respective surgeries. The move will give the Braves a young 2015 rotation of Teheran, Minor, Miller, Beachy, and Medlen.

As for the Cardinals….I love the deal for them. The Cardinals organization is stocked with young talented arms that can easily replace Miller (i.e. Carlos Martinez). Heyward is one of the best defensive OF’ers in baseball with a solid bat capable of adding 5+ wins per season. Also Walden is no traditional throw in, he’s been one of the toughest right handed relievers in baseball over the past two seasons holding opponents to a .186 batting average.

Coming from a Cards fan, I really like Heyward a lot, and am glad to see him with the club. That said, I will be sad to see Shelby leave. Miller is still very young, and as someone who rarely misses an inning of Cardinal baseball, I think Shelby was really starting to figure some things out toward the latter part of 2014. I think the Braves may be getting a guy who is just starting to come into his own.

Cardnals get better on defense but offensively, Jason Heyward has a lot to prove! Braves are clearly building for contention later on down the road when they open their new ballpark! If heyward picks it up with the bat and signs for longer than one year at a reasonable contract then this is great deal for St. Louis. If he leaves after this seson then the braves absolutely win this trade by grabbing two young controllable players, one with tremendous upside!

Miller is league minimum. Braves save $9.5M in 2015 with this trade, allowing more room for other assets to be brought in. Hart is not done yet. Maybe Andrus will be a Brave again. Need to replace the hole on the right side of the infield left by LaStella to the Cubs.

I love the deal being a Cubs fan. The Cardinals are getting a defense first OF for a decent pitcher. Defense isn’t going to matter when Bryant, Soler, Rizzo, Baez are all hitting bombs off of St. Louis :p

Great job Cards you got one of the best defended in the game today and you also get one of the best set up man in baseball today. In return you gave up an OK young pitcher and not your top 10 prospect.

I can see Justin regressing big time in the next couple of years. The man swings at more pitches outside of the strike zone than anyone in the league. His defense is pretty bad as well, and will only get worse.